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Frontiers of Philosophy in China

ISSN 1673-3436

ISSN 1673-355X(Online)

CN 11-5743/B

邮发代号 80-983

Frontiers of Philosophy in China  2014, Vol. 9 Issue (2): 229-240   https://doi.org/10.3868/s030-003-014-0019-9
  本期目录
Aristotle, the Intellect, and Cognition
Thomas M. Robinson()
Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2M8, Canada
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Abstract

It is argued in this paper that the famous “Active Intellect” of De Anima 3.5 is not God, as Alexander of Aphrodisias held, but rather an unchanging, eternally cognizing Intellect which serves as the indispensable condition for the operation of human intellect. It is “at the door” for each individual, ready to flow in as a stream of light—a light which renders potential objects of cognition knowable, just as visible light makes potentially visible objects visible—from outside that door (thyrathen) any time it is opened. Its existence cannot serve, however, as a proof of the immortality of human intellect, since, being unchanging, it can never possess a feature of human intellect which is characterized by nothing if not change, and that is memory.

Key wordsActive Intellect    Aristotle    cognition    dualism    essentialism    immortality    memory    perception    Prime Mover    soul
出版日期: 2014-07-04
 引用本文:   
. [J]. Frontiers of Philosophy in China, 2014, 9(2): 229-240.
Thomas M. Robinson. Aristotle, the Intellect, and Cognition. Front. Philos. China, 2014, 9(2): 229-240.
 链接本文:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fpc/CN/10.3868/s030-003-014-0019-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fpc/CN/Y2014/V9/I2/229
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